Missing
by Sambean
Summary: Lucy goes out on a job alone to pay her rent, and disappears without a trace. Months fly by, and she is battered, bruised, raped and more. But why? Sweet Lucy is missing, and it's up to Fairy Tail to save her before she breaks. (rated M for sexual themes, cursing, and mild gore.) (NaLu.)
1. Chapter 1: Taken

_'Hm... find a bracelet? Nah, too little pay... sp-spiders? Hell no! Oooh, what's this?'_ Lucy eyed the poster on the job board. It read:

"**STRONG WIZARD NEEDED TO CAPTURE EVIL TERRORIST! PAYMENT: 1,000,000 JEWEL**" On the back of the page was a map.

'1,000,000 jewel? That's more than enough to pay my rent!' She thought happily. She ripped the poster off the board, and after getting the okay from Master, started heading out the door. "Heya Lucy! Cool, you finally picked out a job for us?" Natsu appeared from behind her and snatched up the paper. "Woah, 1,000,000 jewel? That's like..." Happy cut him off. "500,000 for me, 500,000 for you, Natsu!" He chirped happily. "And that leaves..." The flying cat began counting on his paws.

"That leaves nothing for us, cat!" Gray growled as he and Wendy walked over. "We're part of the team too!" Natsu grinned and yelled, "FIGHT ME FOR IT, GRAY!" and lit his fists. The hothead and the ice princess knocked over tabled throwing magic at each other, while the girls sighed."So what's the mission, Lucy?" Wendy asked. "Well, you gotta turn in some guy who's been terrorizing a town. But I was thinking of going alone," She added hesitantly. She knew it might hurt her teammate's feelings.

"Wait, what?" Natsu turned his head towards the girls. "Alone? But what about me and Hap-" His words were cut off by an ice punch to the face. "I'M STILL PART OF THE TEAM, RETARD!" Natsu rubbed his cheek. "Yeah, whatever, stripper." He huffed and turned to his blonde counterpart. "Why do ya wanna go alone?"

"Well, rent is due in a couple of weeks, and I can't keep relying on you guys to pay it. But i'll give whatever's left of the prize to you all!" She added.

"No way, Lucy! This guy's way too strong for you." Natsu said. "He's got some weird strength! He would demolish you!" "For once, I agree with the pyro." Gray said.

Natsu shot a fireball at his face.

Wendy spoke up. "I don't think this is a very good idea, either. If they're rewarding 1,000,000 jewel for this one man, he must be serious." It was a good point, but Lucy was centering in on what Natsu said.

She wasn't magically strong enough to fight one measly guy? How hard can he be?! She fingered her keys subconsciously. All she needed were her spirits.

"So i'm not STRONG enough to take out one dude, huh?! I've gotten better now! You don't need to baby me!" She raged. "I'm gonna go out and defeat whoever this guy is and SHOW YOU ALL HOW IT'S DONE! I'll wipe the floor with 'im!" And with that, Lucy stormed out.

Gray held the back of the Natsu's vest, while he tryed to run off. "Cmon, lemme go! She needs help!" He whined. "Shut up, hothead. She wants to prove herself. Let her do it." Natsu huffed. "If she gets hurt, i'll cut a bitch. And that bitch being you." Gray hit him with a chunk of ice, and they resumed their earlier duel.

* * *

Lucy walked through some dense woods, in a part of Fiore she had never been in. Examining the map on the back of the poster, she sighed. _'I've been looking for hours, and I still can't find this doofus. Maybe I should give up. No, I have to prove myself! I can't fail now!'_ The blonde thought, adrenaline running through her veins. She heard a rustling, and a shot of fear went through her. "H- huh? Who's there?" She called out nervously. **_'Your worst nightmare, my dear'_** A voice said in Lucy's mind.

Suddenly, she was ever... so...o... slee...p...y...

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**This note's been put after about one day from releasing this first chapter, and I must say, i'm surprised how much attention this got! Well, I love it, too. I'll try to update between every 1-2 days, just because it's so fun writing this. **

**(also NaLu forever just sayin')**

**k bai - Sam**


	2. Chapter 2: Waking Up

"Where the hell is she, ice princess! It's been two whole fucking days!" Natsu shouted angrily. "One and a half" Mirajane corrected softly, pointing out it was the middle of the day. "WHATEVER! SHE SHOULDA BEEN BACK BY NOW!" He stomped his feet. "THAT'S IT, I'M GOING AFTER HER!" He declared before running out of the guildhall, Happy chasing after him. "Hey wait up for me, Natsu, I wanna find her too!"

Gray pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head slowly. "When will he realize that it actually takes TIME to do a job?" "He's just worried, Gray. Lucy means alot to him, and he's probably thinking of the worst." Mirajane said. "He'll probably be back soon."

* * *

Soon did not come soon.

He returned at nightfall, his face unreadable in the shadows of candlelight. He held something in a hand. Mirajane looked at him hopefully. "What did you find?"

He held up the object.

Lucy's gate keys.

* * *

Lucy woke up in a stone cold room. Panicking, she looked around. "What the..?! Where the HELL am I?!" She thought back to her last memory. She remembered feeling so tired. A tiredness that could only be caused by sleep magic. She remembered the rustle in the bushes. She remembered the odd fear.

'_Oh, shit.'_

Telling herself to calm down, she examined the four walls of the room. There were no windows, but a faint outline of one on the wall suggested a magically concealed pane. In one corner was a stiff-looking blue cot, oddly enough, made for two people. Another outline, this time touching ground, was on a different wall.

"Hey, where am I?" Lucy called out. She heard no reply. How long had she been asleep? She couldn't even tell what time it was. The only light was a singular bulb hanging by a string on the ceiling of the room.

Lucy noticed her attire had changed. Instead of the outfit she had chosen (hopefully) that morning, a camisole tank, capris and army boots, she now wore a thin veil of light fabric. Even her undergarments were gone, leaving just the thin, translucent sheet covering her pretty much naked body. But most importantly of all, her keys were gone.

_**'Ah, you finally noticed? I think it suites you, darling.'**_ The voice from (hopefully) earlier that day returned, once again whispering in her ear. "Who the hell are you?! Where am I?! WHAT FUCKING TIME IS IT?!" She roared. _**'My, my, you are a feisty one, Mrs. Heartfilia.'**_ "Answer me!"

She felt the sleepiness again. _No... I got...ta... fi...ght i..._

_Zzz..._

* * *

Her head snapped up suddenly, and for a moment, she thought it had all been just a dream. But then she realized she was in a different room. She had a blindfold on, and was chained up, arms and legs spread wide.

She struggled against the bindings, but they held strong. "Ahahaha..." The mind-voice cackled. Only this time, it wasn't in her mind. The blonde felt a presence appear in front of her, "My, you are even more beautiful in person, Mrs. Heartfilia." His voice was like oil, slick but awful at the same time. He ran his thumb along her jaw line slowly, stopping at her chin. "I can see why he has had an eye for you all this time..." He muttered. "Why won't you answer my questions?!" She said, struggling even more against the ties holding her up. All it served to do was burn the red imprint of metal into her skin.

"Oh, yes, I was just getting to that." She tugged her blindfold up slightly, showing her his face. He was a tan man with dark green hair, about a little older than 23, with various small scars dotting his features, the most prominent things about being a tattoo around his left eye and a ring piercing his lower lip.

"You may call me Akuma."

Then suddenly, his features morphed into a much more recognizable face. His dark hair turned bright pink and became a spiky mess, whilst a set of fangs grew from his teeth.

His voice matched Natsu's perfectly. "Or am I?" He grinned his- Natsu's signature smile, but evil dripped from it like sludge. "Now, tell me, Lucy, are you ready?"

"What the hell does that m-" The blonde was cut off by her own gasping as he produced an object.

Her whip.

"What the hell do you think you're going to do with that?!" She questioned angrily.

"Oh, just this..." He laughed, swinging the whip at her with impossible speed.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

_**This chapter has been edited from it's original form on 2/22/2015**_

**Tell me if I spelled anything wrong, ways to make the text smoother, or ideas for the storyline!**

**Stay awesome – Sam**


	3. Chapter 3: Encouragement

**Warning: Some M stuff later in this chapter. Viewer discretion? I advise you to STOP BEING A WIMP. Anyways, enjoy.**

Gray Fullbuster was not typically a very emotional person. Sure, he did feel very strongly about some things, but most of the time, he kept a poker face and a cold, neutral tone. He never reveals his cards.

Have a guild mate go missing for over a week, and your deck bleeds.

He had been struck pretty hard, of course, since Lucy was his team member. And while she was… odd… at times, she was still lovable. And Lucy was strong, even though she seemed useless. He hoped she would turn up soon, for the sake of the guild.

It's hard to keep hoping when it's been a week with only the keys and the job poster as clues.

Gray thought about how the others felt. Levy spent all her time in the library, reading about tracking magic. Wendy tried improving her smelling skills to that of Natsu.

Natsu. He was a wreck, to say the least. Every day, he frantically searched. And every day, Lucy remained hidden. Everyone could see he had truly been hurt, as Natsu and Lucy were very close.

He wondered what Natsu was thinking now.

* * *

Natsu held the keys gently, turning them over in his palm. Metal doesn't retain scent very well, but he swore they smelled like her—strawberries and vanilla.

Maybe what he smelled was her apartment.

It had been a week since he discovered the keys lying in the middle of the forest. The guild had placed a Missing Person title on her head, sent out search parties, and used card magic. But nothing could find Lucy.

He thought about her. About her creamy skin, her silky hair, her voice, her curves. What he loved most was her laugh, light and fluffy, like clouds.

As much as he would furiously and embarrassedly deny it, deep down inside, he admitted to himself he wanted them to be more than teammates. More than friends, or best friends, or even nakamas.

He wanted to hold her, smell her, feel her, please her. For her to squeal with joy at the sight of him. To share jokes and lives. To get her back.

The only way he could get her back is if he tried harder. _'She can't have just disappeared off the face of Earth. And I'll search the entire damn world'_. His knuckles turned white, and his eyes turned dark. _'If anybody lays a finger on her, I'll kill them.'_

* * *

Lucy struggled and screamed, but it wouldn't stop. She could feel cuts and bruises form on her once-flawless skin.

"Why… why do you… do this?" She managed out before clenching her teeth as a fresh pain went through her left leg.

Akuma chuckled. "I'm surprised you honestly haven't figured it out yet. But I'll give you a hint—remember Salamander?"

"Salamander? I don't—Mrmph!" She gasped, pain catching her off guard. It startled her into years old memories.

"_It's Lucy, right? That's a lovely name." "Yeah, thanks" "I'd like to toast your beauty." Snapping his fingers, drops of orange liquid rose into the air, and directed themselves towards the blonde. "Now, open up wide, Lucy. Savor the taste of each drop as they enter your mouth." She noticed one of the two charms on his hand and swatted the droplets away. "What do you think you're doing? I know what you're up to. You're trying to use sleep magic." Salamander laughed. "Very impressive, Lucy."_

"_Look, I don't want to give you the wrong idea. Yes, I really want to join the Fairy Tail guild, but I'm not gonna date you to make that happen." All he did was laugh again. "You're quite a handful, aren't you?" And at that moment, the blue curtains parted to reveal many lackeys holding unconscious girls. "What's going on here?" She questioned warily. "Welcome aboard my ship. And you'd be wise to behave yourself until we get to Bosca." Salamander's tone took a dangerous turn, and his expression intensified. "Don't make me angry."_

"But what does… he have to do… with you?" She grimaced.

He crossed his arms, thus stopping the torture, and Lucy breathed out a sigh of relief. "He worked for me. I owned the largest slavery biz in all of Fiore. But after your stupid hot-headed friend knocked out his crew, we were all arrested. And I want revenge."

"Then are you torturing me?"

"Because he treasures you above all things. But don't worry, dear, he'll join in on the fun soon."

"No!" She yelled. "I'll kill you, fiend!" She struggled harder, but only the now-familiar feel of metal grating on her wrists and ankles greeted her.

Unfolding his arms, Akuma smirked quickly hit her again, but pouted when she kept her mouth shut. "Hm... it seems you need some… _encouragement_."

And with a snap, the world went black.

* * *

Lucy brought her hand up to her face and rubbed her eyes tiredly. The sleep magic not fully off her yet, she lazily wondered what was staring her in the face.

After a second, she realized exactly who owned those green onyx eyes and spiky pink hair, and sat straight up on the cot. "Natsu!" She shouted, and quickly leaned over to give a tremendous hug, but stopped when she caught his eyes again. Something was off about them. They looked…

Malicious.

"N-Natsu?" She stuttered as his eyes glinted. "Oh Lucy, you're so innocent…" He whispered into her ear, putting his hands on her shoulders. "…so fragile…" He pushed her back on the cot forcefully. "…so _easy to control_."

Natsu pinned her arms above her head. "N-Natsu, what are you doing?" Her voice wavered fearfully. "Something I've wanted to do for a long time, Lucy." His evil grin stretched wide as he released her wrists to pull down his pants. Try as she might, she couldn't move. Why couldn't she move?! Her struggles stopped momentarily before increasing tenfold as she caught sight of the sizable bulge in Natsu's underpants.

The boxers were pulled aside, and Lucy gasped, trying to clamp her legs together. It was futile, as her body did not respond to her command. Natsu pulled the translucent cloth covering her flower, the only thing separating him from his intentions, away and lined his manhood up with her opening. Without any warning, he pushed himself in, past her barrier. Blood leaked from one end whilst tears leaked from another. "Natsu… why…" She sniffled, and soon turned to bawling as he roughly began thrusting in and out. "Urgh… Lucy… you're cunt is so _tight_." He growled, shoving himself deeper in, warranting a whimper from the blonde.

He made the last week of torture seem like child's play.

The only thing she felt was the burning hotness of his member thrusting inside her. She wailed as she felt him go faster and rougher. Lucy felt like her insides would rip apart. In and out, not caring about what he did, only caring about pleasuring himself. She was, essentially, just a toy. His little fuck toy.

Natsu grabbed her hair as he grunted and climaxed, pulling some out. She made a large choked sob as his semen filled her. Relaxing, the dragon slayer pulled out his softening manhood and slipped his pants back on. As soon as he climbed off of her, she pulled her knees to her head and cried loudly into them. "Why would you do this?" She sobbed. "I thought we were friends…" Feeling his sticky liquid flow out of her opening, she whipped around angrily. "**I THOUGHT WE WERE FRIENDS!"** Tears streamed down her face, which had hair sticking to it.

He laughed dangerously. "We are, Luce. Friends always come to visit! But sadly, I have to go." He pouted, but another smirk donned his face instantly. "Don't worry, I'll be back soon!"

The world went black again.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

_**This chapter was updated from it's original form on 2/22/2015**_

**Don't hate me for that last scene plz.**

**I listened to some music to inspire me for this chapter (like Mooifyou'recows does, btw this fic is also inspired by them), here's what I listened to:**

'**I'm So Sorry' ~ Imagine Dragons**

'**Smoke and Mirrors' ~ Imagine Dragons**

'**Dream' ~ Imagine Dragons**

'**Losing Hope' ~ Jack Johnson**

**Seriouslydonthatemeforthatlastscene**

**Later - Sam**


	4. Chapter 4: Nightmares

**I want to say thank you to all you guys who have faved, followed, or reviewed this story! Your support means a lot to a budding author like me! Anyways, onto the chapter. (Btw, more M stuff here because I am a horrible person)**

_Natsu…_

"Lucy? Where are you?"

_Why would you do this, Natsu?_

"What? What did I do?"

_I thought we were friends…_

"We are!"

_You hurt me, Natsu…_

Darkness gave way to an image of his disheveled friend, only covered by a translucent cloth, being held down forcefully by tan arms, a red Fairy Tail mark visible on one bicep. She was crying.

"_Natsu, stop, please!" _The Lucy in the images cried.

_You're **inhuman**…_

* * *

Natsu's team stood around him, watching as he trembled. Erza shook her sleeping teammate. "Natsu. Wake up, Natsu." The dragon slayer was covered in a thin layer of sweat. It was obvious he was having a nightmare. "Wake. Up." She shook him harder.

Still no response.

Gray, who was standing on the other side of him, ice-punched him in the face, and he shot up. "NO!" Natsu yelled, grabbing his head and squeezing his eyes shut. "Had a bad dream, hothead?" Gray glanced up at Erza, who had partially unsheathed her sword. "C-cause if you are that's totally okay and definitely not hilarious! Ehehehe…" He laughed nervously.

"Natsu, what did you dream about?" Carla, who was hovering near Wendy and Happy at the end of the bed, asked.

He looked up, startled at the sight of his teammates surrounding him, before plastering his signature grin on his face. "N-nothing! I, uh, can't really remember." He rubbed the back of his neck and shrugged it off, the fake smile stretched into an 'oops' grin.

Wendy squinted her eyes for a moment. "Okayyyyy then… anyways, we're about to go on another search. Are you coming with us?" The dragon slayer stood up on the bed. "You betcha!" He rubbed his hands together. "So, where to?"

* * *

At nightfall, the team walked into the guild fall, one-by-one. The other guild members turned to look. "Did you guys find anything?" Romeo shouted from the other side of the hall, eating French fries. It was a somewhat empty question, considering nothing had turned for a week. But still, everyday, teams went out and scoured the kingdom.

"Yeah, actually, we found this!" Happy said, flying over to Romeo and presenting him a small blue scrap with a white button on it. The other guild members flocked over to the table, impressed a clue had come up. "What is hell is that?" Cana asked.

"It's a part of Lucy's blue vest, right?" Evergreen observed. "The one she was wearing that when she disappeared."

"Yeah." Natsu replied bitterly. "Someone must have ripped it off." He thought back to his dream and shook his head. _'That was all it was, just a dream. Just a dream.' _He repeated it to himself.

"I'm going to sleep." He stated, and trudged off. "What's his deal?" Laxus asked. "He's… just thinking the worst, probably." Mirajane said, repeating what she had said to Gray.

* * *

_Natsu…_

"L-Lucy?"

_I'm all alone, Natsu…_

"We're trying our best, Lucy! I promise!"

_You did this to me…_

"I didn't do anything!"

_Look at what you did…_

Another image, similar to the one from yesterday, filled the darkness. Once again, Natsu's arms were holding down a barely-covered Lucy. _"Natsu, it hurts so bad…"_ She choked out. _"So bad…" _A tear rolled down her dirty cheek.

_You're __**pathetic**__…_

* * *

Natsu's eyes flew open. Holding his head, he breathed deeply, inhaling the scent that still lingered in Lucy's apartment. _'It was just another silly nightmare, get over it.' _He thought to himself. _'It's probably Lucy's scent that causing them. Tonight I should sleep at the guild.'_

Standing up, he climbed out the window and started towards the guildhall, readying himself for another day of (probably unsuccessful) searching.

* * *

_Natsu…_

"Lucy, stop talking to me."

_You're the only one who can save me, Natsu…_

"What does that mean?"

_Stop yourself…_

Image Lucy appeared, pinned against a wall. Her hair stuck to her face, and red marks were visible where Natsu's hands were holding up her wrists. She sniffled, _"Someone save me…please…"_

"Shut up, fucktoy." Natsu's voice snarled. Image Lucy seemed to shrink against the wall.

_You're __**heartless**__…_

* * *

_Natsu…_

"Go away Lucy."

_I am away… so far away, Natsu…_

_You need to hurry, Natsu…_

"H-hurry?"

_Time's running out…_

Image Lucy was weakly pushing at the arms that held her down. _"Why won't you stop… Natsu... please… just stop!" _Her arms shook as she bawled. _"When will this all stop?"_

_You're __**evil**__…_

* * *

_Natsu…_

"Stop messing with me, Lucy."

_You failed, Natsu…_

"I haven't failed anything! Get out of my head!"

_You took too long…_

Lucy appeared in his mind, once more held down by the tan, muscular arms. Natsu's arms. Image Lucy looked up, straight into Natsu's eyes. _"Natsu… stop…" _She begged, before turning her head in shame. An audible grunt sounded, and Image Lucy winced. _"Why…" _She whispered, the words being smothered by tears.

Unlike the other nightmares, however, it did not end there.

Natsu's field of vision zoomed out, like someone had stepped off her. He could see her entire body. As soon as 'Natsu' got off the cot, she curled up into a small ball and cried into her knees. White fluid was visibly leaking onto the translucent cloth covering her body. She shook with each sob.

"No, Lucy, don't cry!"

_This is all because of you…_

Slowly, Image Lucy's crying died down into whimpers. She turned over, finally, and gasped when she saw Natsu, still standing there. _"You're… still here…"_ Whatever color she still had in her face vanished. The 'Natsu' lit one hand and raised it high. _"N-no…**plea**—" _The image disappeared.

"Lucy!"

_You're__** too slow…**_

* * *

"Natsu, wake up." Happy nudged him. "Wake uppppppp!" The blue cat prodded his face. Groaning, Natsu sat up, breathing heavily. "C'mon, we gotta go to the guild! Carla saw a vision and wants everyone to know!" Happy said, stretching his words out for emphasis.

"Okay, just… give me a minute." The dragon slayer sat up and rubbed his face. His last attempt at getting rid of the nightmares was to sleep at his own house, but whatever he tried proved futile. He avoided thinking about his most recent dream.

* * *

Natsu barged through the guildhall's large front door and walked over to where a crowd of guild members surrounded Carla. "Everyone's here, so go ahead and tell them, Carla." Wendy said.

Breathing out, she started, "It was a small gray room with no windows… a-and there was a blue bed…" She looked down. "Lucy w-was there… and… a-and she was…" The white cat trailed off. "She was what, Carla?" Happy asked.

"She was… being… raped by Natsu…" She covered her face with her paws as her voice went to a whisper. "She told him to stop b-but he wouldn't…"

Everyone in the crowd turned to stare in disbelief at Natsu, whose eyes were shielded by his spiky hair. His hands were closed into white-knuckled fists.

"Natsu…" Mirajane started, placing a hand on his shoulder.

He flicked it off and turned around. "Don't follow me." He said, his tone low, before running out.

* * *

Natsu ran all the way across town into the distant woods, where they had found Lucy's vest button. He got to a bushy area and sat down, breathing heavily. _'The dreams… Carla saw one… but it makes no sense!' _ He thought. _'Th-they were just dreams. I didn't… I couldn't… never…'_

He thought of the dreams, and shuddered.

"_Natsu, stop, please!"_

"_It hurts... so bad…"_

"_Someone save me… please…"_

"_Just stop! When will this stop…"_

"_Natsu… stop…"_

"_Why…"_

"_You're… still here…"_

'_N-no…** plea—'**_

The world disappeared.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Weren't expecting that, were ya? :3**

**And yes I know I'm a horrible person for doing this to poor Natsu**

**Music:**

**Stay Away ~ Charli XCX**

**I'm So Sorry ~ Imagine Dragons**

**These light-hearted notes ruin the tone of the chapter don't they - Sam**


	5. Chapter 5: Sorry

"Where the hell is he?!" Gray shouted angrily. After Natsu ran away, the Master had sent his team (minus Carla) to look for him, using Wendy's smelling abilities to track down where he ran.

The scent trail had stopped at the bushy area where they had found Lucy's vest button snagged to a shrub. Just… stopped. It led nowhere else.

Erza sighed. "With such high allegations against him, I'm not surprised that he would want to hide." Happy nodded. "But I just don't get it. How could Natsu… do _that_… when we don't even know where Lucy is?"

"Yeah, plus he was the most crushed out of anyone when she went missing," Gray said. "It really doesn't make sense."

"Since when has any of this made sense?!" Wendy huffed. "First Lucy goes missing, then Natsu has nightmares for a week but won't admit it, and after Carla has a vision of him _raping_ her he disappears _without a trace_!" She threw up her hands at the last words for emphasis.

Erza shrugged. "Right now, we should stop trying to make sense of things and keep looking. Mavis knows what he's up to..." She murmured the last bit.

* * *

Natsu opened his eyes groggily, holding his forehead. 'What…the hell…happened?' He said, sleep magic wearing off. He scanned the room whilst regaining his memory. 'Let's see… I was sitting next to the bushes… and then—' His thought stopped when he caught sight of matted, patchy blonde hair peeking out from under a white, raggedy blanket.

Barely processing that it was the same room from his dreams, Natsu clambered over to the blue cot excitedly. "Lucy." He whispered to himself. He nudged her lightly, but she didn't respond.

Natsu turned her over, accidentally making the blanket slip over the side of the cot.

He gasped.

She had various cuts and bruises all over her body, and sections of her hair had been pulled out. But what stood out most were burn marks that had been scorched into her skin. The first one trailed from her right eye to her collarbone. More marks, some worse than others, dotted her midsection, with angry bruises on her wrists and shoulders. The worst mark was on her left side, angrily scratching from the middle of her stomach to her left knee, traveling down the inside of her thigh. More bruises showed on her ankles.

The translucent cloth she wore had been ripped, now only covering her lower midsection and backside.

"Lucy, can you hear me? Wake up." He shook her. "C'mon, wake up!"

Nothing.

'_Oh shit.' _Natsu thought, remembering his last dream.

_You took too long…_

_You're too slow…_

_**You failed, Natsu…**_

'They weren't just bad dreams_? Then… it all actually happened… which means…' _He shuddered. _'D-does that mean... I-I actually...'_

Before he could continue the dark thought, however, he heard a soft groan of pain. "Lucy? You awake?" He questioned . Her eyes opened slightly, revealing the familiar chestnut orbs of his nakama. He smiled wide. "Hia, Luce!"

In an instant, she turned from peacefully half-asleep to completely alert. Her pupils shrunk, and she scrambled away from him. "N-no! Go away!" Lucy shrieked fearfully. She pushed herself against the wall opposite from him and tightened her legs together with her arms, sobbing into her knees. "Please… never again… I'll do anything!" She began to shake.

"What…? What are you talking abo—" Natsu started, before abruptly remembering his dreams.

"_Natsu… stop… please!"_

"_Natsu, it hurts so bad…"_

"_Why won't you stop… Natsu…please… just stop!"_

"_Natsu, stop…"_

He took a step back, eyes widening.

"_A-and she was… being… raped by Natsu…"_

"Luce… that wasn't me…" He trailed off. "I would never hurt you."

"You're a lying bastard!" Her face whipped up, wet with tears. "I can't trust you! Y-you did this to me! Every day… it was the same…" She went back to sobbing into her knees. "You wouldn't stop… you—you burned me… you called me your…" She choked on her words. "…your little fucktoy…"

He stepped forward and began to say something, but was interrupted.

She screamed. "STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM ME! ALL YOU'VE DONE IS T-TAKE ADVANTAGE OF ME AND HURT ME A-AND—" She gasped, breaking her ranting sentence, as Natsu reached over and hugged her. "I would rather die than hurt you, Luce. I'm sorry for… for everything that's happened. I would switch places with you in a heartbeat." He stroked her matted, blonde locks comfortingly, and she cried into his shoulder.

"He b-beat me with my w-whip… a-and when I didn't sc-scream he…" She choked on her words as she was struck with realization. "H-he can transform to look like others… all week… he…he..." Natsu shushed her. "I know. I'm sorry I couldn't protect you. But I'm here now, and I'll get us out of here. I promise."

'_He laid a finger on her.'_ He thought.

'_I'll kill him, whoever he is.'_

* * *

It was late at night when the team returned.

"Did you guys find him?" Cana shouted from across the room.

"No, but we did find something out." Wendy replied.

Erza held up Lucy's key chain, which had reappeared in the bushy area.

A singular golden key was missing.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**I really don't wanna ruin the mood of this chapter but GOD I FEEL SAD NOW**

**Music:**

**'Sorry' ~ Buckcherry**

**'Smoke and Mirrors' ~ Imagine Dragons**

**'Second Chances' ~ Imagine Dragons**

**keep it cool - Sam**


	6. Chapter 6: Goodnight

**I felt so bad for that last chapter I had to write this so here's a break from sad stuff for y'all**

Lucy couldn't sleep.

This had become a normal occurrence for her, because of Akuma and his torment. Her sleep would be filled with hate, and anger, and loneliness, and last only one or two hours.

But she couldn't sleep tonight for a different reason.

She was acutely aware of the dragon slayer snoozing away next to her. He radiated comforting warmth, like a blanket on a snowy day. And while Natsu wasn't exactly the soothing or soft type, he had his moments.

Flipping over, she stiffened a bit at the sight of him before relaxing. _'Don't be stupid Lucy… that wasn't him.' _And yet as much as she told herself this, she knew that split second of fear would always be there. She watched his steady breathing.

Natsu had always been cute while he slept. Being kidnapped hadn't changed that.

Kidnapped. The word tasted bitter on her tongue. But as much as Lucy didn't want to call it that, this was exactly it – a kidnapping. Taken against your own will. Nobody knows where you are or how to rescue you and you're all alone—

But she wasn't alone.

"Natsu?" She poked him. "Natsu, wake up." The dragon slayer lazily opened one eye. "Hm?" He questioned, half-asleep. "Um, I'm cold…" She trailed off, squeaking when he wrapped his arms around her.

Snuggling into his warmth, she heard him murmur something before sleep overtook her.

A soft white light shone into Natsu's eyes. Opening them slightly, he found himself staring into the sky, the sun up high. Fluffy clouds dotted the blue expanse, and he found he was lying on a grassy hill.

"That one looks like a carrot!" A familiar voice giggled next to him. Turning his head, he saw Lucy lying next to him. Following her pointed finger, he saw a cloud that, indeed, did look like a carrot. A small wind blew, and it turned into a shapeless mist.

Scanning the horizon, Natsu pointed and said, "That one looks like a giraffe!"

They did this for hours, simply pointing out funny-shaped clouds and laughing together. It was… comforting, in an odd way. The dark gray room seemed like a distant memory.

"_Natsu."_

He turned his head to her, but she wasn't talking, just giggling at clouds.

"_Natsu, wake up."_

Natsu cracked open an eye to darkness, barely making out Lucy's face staring at him. "Hm?" He made a questioning noise, still halfway sleeping.

"Um, I'm cold…" Being in his sleepy, almost drunk state, Natsu decided the best course of action was to warm her himself.

She made a cute noise as he wrapped her in his arms.

He listened to her breath softly. She was so… peaceful. As if the last two weeks of torture didn't exist.

"Good night." He whispered, closing his eyes.

Something prodded Lucy's cheek. Opening her eyes and looking up, she saw a busy town square. "….eh? Where am I?" She said, dazed, looking around.

"We're at the ice cream place, duh!" A voice said across from her. Lucy turned her head and saw her pink-haired teammate grinning cheerfully. "You fell asleep, so I got you some." He held out a cone of mint chocolate chip.

She took it warily. _'Is this another illusion?'_ She thought momentarily. "What's the occasion?"

"Don't you remember? You defeated that guy all by yourself! You were all like 'wapow, get a load of this!' and he was all like 'noooooooo' and blah blah blah blah…" Lucy tuned out Natsu's rambling. _'It… it was all just a dream?' _Lucy thought in disbelief. _'Akuma… the chains… just in my mind?'_

She smiled softly as a tear fell. "It was all fake… I'm so glad…" She whispered to herself.

"And then—Lucy? What's wrong?" Natsu asked, cocking his head.

Her head snapped up. "Nothing, nothing! Just… really cold." "Oh, I can fix that!" He said, lifting a hand of fire. "Stop, you idiot!" She laughed, guarding her cone from his fiery fist.

Akuma watched their happy dreams bitterly. He turned away and waved a hand, ending the mental connection. "Treasure your time together, fools."

"It will not last long."

**Author's Note:**

**I am so sorry for being late ;3; But I can't upload tomorrow, either, because I have a track meet so PLEASE FORGIVE ME**

**Also, I'm debating what the next chapter (which will probably be uploaded Saturday) should be about—more Natsu and Lucy perspective, Akuma backstory, or what's happening back at Fairy Tail? You guys can decide, just pm me.**

**(btw, finally started working on Chapter 2 for Mekasui the Ice Mage yay)**

**Music: **

**Good Night ~ The Beatles**

**Dream ~ Imagine Dragons**


	7. Chapter 7: Error no 74

The guildhall was quiet. Soft murmuring and footsteps were the only sounds.

Without Natsu and Lucy, there were no tables being flipped or fights being picked. No name-calling, no rowdiness, nothing.

Erza, Gray, Wendy, Carla, and Happy were huddles together at one table, talking quietly amongst themselves.

"He hasn't returned." Erza deadpanned.

"Thank you Captain Obvious." Gray said with a huff.

"It's been a day. He's probably coming back now!" Happy said.

"Are you sure he wants to come back?" Wendy asked.

Erza crossed her arms. "Probably not. Considering what Carla saw, it's a safe bet that he's afraid to come back."

"Carla, are you sure it was really him?" Gray asked hopefully.

"Yes. I know what I saw, and I saw that reckless young man… _raping_ Lucy." She replied bitterly, the words sour on her tongue.

Happy huffed angrily. "Natsu wouldn't ever do that, not in a million years! He was feeling so down after Lucy disappeared, I was afraid he would be sad forever!" He slammed his tiny paw on the table. "It can't be Natsu. It can't. It's impossible."

Wendy sighed. "The only way we can prove his innocence is by tracking him down, but even their scent trails are gone."

Suddenly, Erza stood up. "That's it!" She slammed a fist on the table happily.

"I know who can track Natsu and Lucy down."

* * *

Lucy opened a cautious eye, and realized that she was chained up in the torture room.

"What… what the hell? When did I get here?"

Akuma stepped out of the shadows. "You would be surprised how easy it was to transport you." He grinned. " A few good dreams, and even the lightest of sleepers are out cold."

"What is that supposed to mean?" She questioned, but Akuma shushed her with a wave of his hand.

"I have some people for you to meet."

Two people stepped out of the shadows.

He gestured to the one on his left, a short tan woman with tussled, dark hair covered with a bandana. "This is Whiplash." He turned to the man on his right, tall and brutish, with a colorless buzzcut. "And this is Troy. They're going to… _help_ me today." Akuma smiled a poisonous smile.

The man called Troy held up a golden key.

Leo the Lion.

"W-what the hell? Where did you find that?!" Akuma crossed his arms. "Your slayer friend had it. He's quite the helper." The green-haired man added.

Lucy made a one-sided smile. "You can't do anything with it. Only I can summon Loke."

"Are you sure about that, girly?" Troy laughed, voice deep. On cue, Whiplash raised her hands up and shouted in a scratchy, laidback voice, "Doll Attack: Rock Doll!"

The floor shivered, and a large rock giant rose up from the middle, head barely below the ceiling.

"Attack."

The rock doll charged towards Lucy, and she braced herself for an impact that never came.

Opening her eyes, she saw her spirit holding back the golem.

"Lucy, this is quite an odd place to go for a date."

"Loke, this isn't a time for jokes. Go back to the celestial world before they can do whatever they're planning."

He turned his head, still holding the rock golem back. "They? Who else is h—"

"Don't look! Just go away!" She demanded furiously, and he turned his blushing face back.

Whiplash chuckled darkly. "Oh, he isn't going anywhere, blondie." She directed her hands towards him. "Doll Attack: Puppeteer."

The rock golem disappeared, and Loke's eyes turned a flashy pink.

"Hm, what should I make you do first?" Whiplash thought aloud, snickering. "Why don't we see what that power of yours can do?"

She waved her hands, making Loke face his mage.

"Lucy, why can't I move?"

Whiplash raised her hands, Loke following along. With a flick of her wrist, a magic seal appeared in front of her puppet, before a great ray of light shot out, shooting Lucy directly.

She screamed in pain, as the light ripped at her flesh. Old gashes that had closed long ago reopened, and her burns became ever darker.

After a few agonizing seconds that seemed like hours, the light faded for a second.

More light shot out, and Whiplash cackled. "You were right, Akuma! Her screams really are the best." She had to shout over the blonde's noise.

"Loke… you have to fight her! Close your gate! G—"

Shot after shot of light hit Lucy.

After a while, Whiplash got bored, and with a flick of her wrist, ended the barrage.

Loke panted, most of his magical energy used up. "Lucy, I-I can't control myself!" He would have turned his head guiltily, if he had any control of his actions.

"Ey Akuma, whaddya want me to do now? Cat boy over here's too tired to keep hittin' her."

Akuma stroked his chin mockingly. "Hm, I do wonder. He looks quite human, don't you think?" The two lackeys nodded in agreement.

"Why don't we see just how human this spirit is?" He grinned.

Lucy's eyes widened as Whiplash made Loke move closer, realizing what was happening.

"I'm sorry, Lucy."

* * *

Hibiki walked in through the large front doors, greeted by the entire guild, which had congregated around the door.

"I came as soon as I got your message. So Lucy's missing?"

"She's been missing for two weeks, how have you not heard about it?" Happy asked.

He rubbed the back of his head apologetically. "Well, Blue Pegasus is quite hectic at times. Especially with all of the nice girls." He added smoothly, earning himself a bonk on the head from Erza.

"Now isn't the time to be coy, Hibiki. You need to use your Archive Magic to locate them." She said sternly. "You used it to keep track of all of us when we fought Oracion Seis, so you surely could use it now."

"Wait, them? Who else is missing?"

"Natsu. The one with the pink hair and hectic manner."

Hibiki nodded and opened his database, typing random strings of symbols. "Right. A fire dragon slayer and a celestial mage, coming right up."

Hibiki punched in more lines of code, and hit a button, surprised when a bright red error message came up, reading '**WARNING:** **Error no. 74'**

"What's 'error number 74'?" Max asked, pointing a finger at the flashy text.

"It means that whoever I'm trying to reach isn't in the radius I searched, which was all of Magnolia. Which means I'm going to have to expand the radius to _all of Fiore_." He grimaced. "This will take a while."

He typed more symbols, evolving into strings of language only he understood. The strings got extensive, filling the large screen, yet he kept typing.

Finally, Hibiki's finger hovered over the enter button. "If they're anywhere in the entire kingdom, we'll know." He said, hitting the button.

The screen showed a small bar filling with blue, showing off the words **'loading… loading… loading…' **

'**Loading complete'**

Another message popped up.

'**WARNING: Error no. 74'**

* * *

Whiplash laughed as Loke finished, spurting inside of his mage.

Lucy felt tears slide down her cheeks.

'I think that's enough fun for now, Whiplash."

With an annoyed snap, Loke's eyes turned back into their normal bright brown, only now, they looked a bit darker, a bit duller. He fell to the ground. "But man, Akuma, this is so much fun! It's not everyday I get ta' control a Zodiac spirit." She grinned. "And cat boy here is super strong. O' course, nothing I can't handle."

"Lucy, I'm sorry…" Loke trailed off. "I couldn't control my actions."

"Just… go back through the gate."

"Lu—"

"I SAID GO BACK!" She yelled angrily. "JUST GO!"

Hanging his head, Loke complied, shimmering away.

"See you tomorrow, blondie!" Whiplash waved happily as darkness crashed into Lucy's sights.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Holy moly I'm so sorry for being this late ;3;**

**It's just super hard to write when you have sports and school and siblings breathing down you back.**

**Cause this stuff is like, really messed up.**

**Anyways here's the music I listened to:**

'**Hopeless' ~ Breaking Benjamin**

**Yeah that's one song but like here's the thing how many songs do you know that convey the feeling of hopelessness cause if you know some tell me PLEASE**

**Also, cliffhanger, but not in the last paragraph lel. Wait, all of these end in cliffhangers, technically, right?**

**I'm too tired to think straight right now. Plus I won't be able to get any chapters out until like Saturday because, again, schedule. urghhhhh**

**cya later - Sam**


	8. Chapter 8: Phase One is Complete

'**WARNING: Error no. 74'**

The group stared, large-eyed, at the blinking text.

"…what?" Happy squeaked. "Isn't it supposed to say where they are?"

Hibiki sighed. "Like I told you, this only happens when whatever I'm looking for isn't in the range that I searched."

"B-but… didn't you search all of Fiore?" Wendy stuttered.

"Yes."

"Which means…Natsu and Lucy… aren't in Fiore?" She said it slowly, realization sinking in. "Which means…we've spent all this time looking in the wrong place…"

Hibiki nodded sullenly. "Yes."

"They could be anywhere on the planet by now." Gray crossed his arms and huffed. "As if it wasn't hopeless enough." The outburst earned him a bonk on the head from Erza. "Don't think like that. No matter what, we'll find them. Nobody gets left behind." She emphasized the word 'nobody'.

Hibiki stood up and began to walk away. "I'm sorry I couldn't help. Best of luck." He said briskly, walking out the large front door.

The door closed.

* * *

Akuma unlocked the sealed cell door with an intricate wave of his hands, and threw the blonde inside.

She landed with a small squeal, and her despicable friend rushed over to her.

"Lucy! Where did he take you?"

His nose twitched.

"Lucy, you smell weird… like fear and..." The boy, name unknown to Akuma, looked up at him with unbelieving eyes. "You- you wouldn't dare!" Suspicion and anger were evident in his tone.

Akuma smiled. "I dared weeks ago."

The boy stood up and raised his fist. "Fire Dragon – huh?" His attack was cut short by a crackling fizzle, and a small bout of smoke rose from his hand.

"Ey, what gives?"

Akuma laughed conceitedly. "You're so foolish. Do you honestly think I would let you use your dragon slayer magic? This entire room has a magic nullification spell on it. You can't hurt me."

The boy stood up. "Then I'll just use my fists!" He yelled, charging at their captor.

His fist hit solid rock, and he shouted, "EY! DON'T RUN AWAY I'M NOT DONE WITH YOU YET!" He kicked at the door. "OPEN THIS DOOR RIGHT NOW, YOU COWARD!"

After a few minutes, sighing, he gave up and went back over to Lucy, who had climbed up onto the cot, hands covering her face.

"Lucy? Are you okay? What did he do?" The boy asked tenderly.

She wiped her eyes. "…I-I'm fine. It was nothing." She lied, lowering her hands and giving him a forced smile, eyes puffy and sore.

Suddenly, she grasped for the dirty white blanket lying next to her. "Don't look at me, you idiot, I'm naked!" She shouted, kicking him in the cheek. He stumbled back, and laughed. "That's my Lucy alright!"

Akuma watched, eyes calculating, through the one-way window. "It seems the first part of my plan worked well."

"A plan? When did ya come up with a 'plan'?" Whiplash asked.

"I've had a plan for these two even before I employed you, Whiplash. It's something I would rather keep to myself, for safety reasons. All I'll say is that Phase One is complete."

* * *

Natsu laid awake that night.

He didn't want Lucy to get taken again while they were sleeping.

His heart stung.

He couldn't get her damned scent out of his head.

She still smelled vile, like fear and sex and, for some reason, her lion spirit Loke.

He hadn't said a word. He chose to ignore her gloomy mood and the stiff way she walked. He pretended not to see her new wounds when the blanket occasionally slipped, nor did he point out her lying, her quietness, or her crying.

Crying.

Natsu hated seeing people cry. To him, it was wrong to see anyone in such a weak and vulnerable state. Making someone shed those tears was worse. How could anyone make someone feel so bad, be so horrible, they had to cry?

Natsu hated it when people hurt others.

But when someone hurt his _friends_, there was trouble. And that usually ended in property damage and a trip to the hospital for both parties. He felt it was his duty to make up for how bad they felt.

But Natsu couldn't do a thing now.

And that was what stabbed at his chest.

Whoever had locked them in here had gotten rid of his magic, so he couldn't burn him. And he wasn't quick enough to attack him with just his fists. Their captor would just hide behind the wall. He was too dense to think of an escape plan, too clumsy to enact it, and too confused to make sense of anything.

What did this guy want, anyways?

Natsu couldn't see his motives. As far as he could tell, Fairy Tail (specifically Lucy and himself) hadn't done anything to anger him. Natsu had never seen the man in his life. Hell, that was his first interacton with their captor, whilst he dragged Lucy away every day. But that brought up even more questions. Why was he only hurting Lucy? Did they know each other? And if Lucy was the only one that got hurt, why was he there? Where the hell were they? What would happen next?

How were things back at Fairy Tail?

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**I wasn't able to get this chapter out yesterday like I had said because of a softball tournament that literally took all day. (Seriously, NINE AM ON A SATURDAY? CMON GET YERSELVES TOGETHER.)**

**My posting schedule for right now is every 2-4 days because I'm trying to make these longer and better.**

**Music:**

'**Something Very Bad' ~ Hadouken!**

'**Some Things Are Better Left Unsaid' ~ Hall &amp; Oates**

**(P.S. The next chapter will center around the guild with only a little bit of Natsu or Lucy POV and most likely have a big ol' timeskip in there as well because I can't describe literally every day that would probably kill me and my poor keyboard)**

**see y'all later - Sam**


	9. Chapter 9: Three Rules

**(Just a note—this is time-skipped two weeks, so Lucy and Natsu have been gone for a bit less than 2 months now)**

* * *

Master Makarov sat and watched his children.

The guildhall was quiet and solemn, something Makarov had barely seen since Natsu had joined the guild many years ago. Usually, fights were breaking out, tables were being broken, and it general mayhem was being had.

But it hadn't been that way for months now.

After the failure with Hibiki and his Archive Magic, and the discovery that the two weren't even in the kingdom, search efforts had slowly died off to occasional searches. But with no leads, it was pointless.

Makarov sighed quietly.

He hated seeing his children so sad.

Natsu and Lucy's team had taken the worst hit. Wendy, with her idol Natsu gone, had been training vigilantly to become strong enough to find him, which was pointless. All the scent trails had been washed away by rain. Happy, Natsu's Exceed and best friend, has become reclusive and uninterested in most things. Even Carla and Pantherlily couldn't console him. The once-cheery blue cat was now a rare sight anywhere but Lucy's apartment. Gray and Erza had reacted similarly to each other, both keeping steady, neutral faces and distracting themselves with constant work. But it was quite obvious that deep down, they were hurt. They only showed it when they thought nobody was looking.

Levy, Lucy's best friend, buried her nose in all the tracking magic books she could find. For the first time, she had snapped at Jet and Droy when they tried to cheer her on, and they stayed silent after that.

The guild's Dragon Slayers felt terrible. The group felt like brothers (even if they dare not admit it), and it hurt when one was taken away. They had become stone-faced and edgy. Even Gajeel, who wanted to turn Natsu into a dust heap.

Makarov could go on and on.

* * *

Cana had tried card magic, but only ominous answers showed. Each time she tried, the same results came up.

The dragon.

The tulip.

And the devil.

Of course, she knew what the first two were—Natsu and Lucy, respectively. But the devil? What did that have to do with anything?

Maybe it had something to do with Carla's visions. Or Natsu's odd disappearance just after Lucy…

Cana shook her head.

Natsu wouldn't hurt Lucy.

Right?

Wait, what was she thinking? This was _Natsu_. Cheery, dense, innocent Natsu. Uprooted-a-town-treasure-just-so-Lucy-could-see-the-rainbow-sakura Natsu. Beat-up-the-leader-of-the-Oracion-Seis Natsu.

Natsu the rapist didn't fit.

But then what about Carla's visions?

She sighed, shook her head, and readied her cards for another deal.

* * *

Akuma yanked Lucy's hair hard. "Wake up."

She opened a slit eye and looked around, and noticed, with relief and fear, that his lackeys weren't there.

For two straight weeks, Whiplash had used her dolls to batter her, dislocating a shoulder that remained out of place.

Troy, as it turns out, was a rune mage. He made rooms of pain and suffering, to the contentment of Akuma. Occasionally, he changed the rules, making them paralyze her instead. Then Akuma would shoo them out of the room, and… _enjoy_ her.

Her eyes widened.

_They weren't there._

**_They weren't there._**

"Oh, so you noticed? Good. I love the way you struggle, so deliciously _afraid_." He grinned, putting his hands on the walls beside her, and whispered in her ear, "You know what this means, don't you, _whore_?" His snickering filled her ears.

She struggled against the chains weakly. He rarely remembered to feed or water her, so any energy she had had had burned away. "D-don't do it! I'm warning you!" She shouted.

He reached his hand down to remove his pants.

With a sudden burst of energy, she kneed him in the groin.

Akuma stumbled back and doubled over, glaring at her. "That... was the wrong choice..." He said through gritted teeth.

"Now I'm angry."

He recovered much too soon, and reached for the offending knee. With a slight twist of his hands, the weakened bone cracked. She screamed in agony. "There are three rules you must follow." Akuma snarled.

"One: You shall refer to me as Master."

Snap.

"Two: You shall never disobey me, or face punishment."

Snap.

"Three: Abandon all hope, because you will_ never_ escape me."

Snap.

Finally, he let go of her now-mangled leg, placing two fingers on her head. "This is the other half of your punishment. Are you ready?"

He didn't wait for a reply.

He murmured a spell, and his fingertips glowed. The light seeped into Lucy's forehead, and she felt lightheaded and dizzy. "What… what are you doing?" She asked, dazed.

Misty images flashed before her eyes, splashes of color visible through the fuzziness.

The show stopped, and he lowered his hand.

"What…was that?" She asked through gritted teeth. The room swayed slightly from dizziness and pain.

"Oh, wouldn't you like to know, _whore_. Now, where were we? Oh, yes." He grinned, reaching his hand down to his pants once more.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Sorry for the kinda short chapter.**

**Also, y'know that thing I said in the last A/N about this chapter only being guild POV? Yeah, I lied. Sorry 'bout that.**

**To clear some stuff up—**

**Akuma can transform to look and speak like different people, and does mind spells, ****Whiplash does marionette magic, and ****Troy does rune magic (which is how Akuma uses magic in the 'magic-proof' room),**

**Music:**

'**Brain Stew' ~ Green Day**

**Side note—any music recommendations?**

**how am I so lighthearted in these I mean just look at the story - Sam**


	10. Chapter 10: Months Went By

**Warning: ****Massive**** timeskip (three months)**

* * *

It had been months since Lucy had turned up with a mangled leg and a distance in her eyes. Slowly, over time, she lost her vigor, the shine in her eyes.

It was as if her soul was stripped away.

Sometimes, she would wake up trembling, trying to shut out her nightmares by pounding her head with shaky fists. It would take many minutes for her to calm down, shrieking and crying while Natsu held her tight, whispering that it was okay, everything's okay, you're going to be okay.

Nothing was okay.

Each day, it was getting harder and harder to ignore Lucy's appearance. Cuts infected with dirt and pus dripped a deep red, purple and blue bruises and scabs lined her, white fluid stuck to her torn hair. She had broken bones in various places, but her leg was the worst. It still hadn't healed, and bone pieces stuck out.

Lucy couldn't walk, because of her leg. She couldn't even get across the cell to the food tray their captors left out only about once every two weeks. The food and water was barely enough for one person, let alone two starving adults. She insisted that Natsu eat more, talking about it didn't matter if she was fed or not. Her ribs were clearly visible beneath her skin.

But her mental scarring was the worst.

Nightmares haunting her sleep had led to Natsu waking up to find Lucy pacing in a small circle, obliviously dragging her leg behind her, trying to avoid the call of sleep. And when it wasn't dark, he could see the emotional damage in her eyes. Pain, fear, but most worrying of all—nothing. For seconds that seemed like days, her eyes would go blank and hazy, the life sucked out of them. Natsu didn't know why this happened, but every time it did, she would murmur something about punishment and being a 'bad girl'. Lucy would fall out of the trance, dizzy and confused, reaching out to something that wasn't there. And when he asked what happened, she wouldn't answer.

Natsu started talking to her about the guild-mates, trying to soothe her mind. But when he brought up names and stories, she only stared at him, confused. _"Who are they?"_ She'd ask him. And he'd tell every story and adventure he could think of with them in it, but she refused knowing who they were. When she did remember, it was gone a week later. Just… gone. Like the light in her eyes.

Lucy was with their captor right now.

Natsu swore he could smell smoke.

* * *

Akuma had unclasped the chains at Lucy's wrists, making her fall to the floor. The chains on her ankles kept her in place. She writhed in her chains as Akuma repeatedly kicked her in the ribs and chest. Earlier, she had accidently hit him while he raped her. That, to his content, had finally given him a reason to beat the living shit out of her "Be grateful I didn't use my punishment spell, _whore_."

Lucy shrieked as she felt a bone break. "Stop! Please!" She cried, grabbing his ankle weakly.

"Let go of me. Now."

"N-no! Stop hurting me…" She trailed off, realizing what she had done.

Akuma stopped and gave her a malicious, knowing smile. "Did you just disobey me?" He cackled before continuing, "You're in for it now!"

Lucy felt an all-too-familiar sense of dread before a wave of dizziness overtook her, and her vision became fuzzy and dots swam in her peripherals. Splashes of color filled her eyes, and she became limp and distant, in a world completely of her own.

He reached back his foot and kicked her, harder than before, in the face.

The feeling of her nose being turned almost completely sideways snapped her out of the trance. A small bout of adrenaline rushed through her, and in the spur of the moment, bit down on his calf.

Akuma's smile disappeared. "Did you just… bite me?" His tone was disbelieving and cold.

Lucy gulped, realizing how big the mistake she had just made was.

He reached down into his pocket and pulled out a box with a small flame logo on the side. "I knew this would come in handy." He said, opening it and sliding out a short, thin lacrima stick. "Magical matches. Small, but can light any flammable material on fire. Used to be used for camping, but was banned in all kingdoms because of the much more… _fun_ ways it can be used." He listed, the grin returning.

He threw the small item onto Lucy.

She screamed and yelled as flames began to lick along her skin, charring and burning as they went. Fire leaped around her, and she was soon completely aflame. Smoke filled her lungs and eyes.

The last thing she saw was Akuma, eyes glinting, surrounded by smoke that turned her vision black.

* * *

Cana sighed at her cards.

Somewhere along the two-month anniversary of Lucy and Natsu's disappearances, the cards had changed the results, yet had adamantly refused to give up the devil card. The other two read broken glass and a cruel fate.

She had no idea what it meant.

Angry, Cana threw the cards away from her, and they fluttered onto the table. One calmly fluttered down in front of her.

She flipped it over.

Death.

Suddenly, a loud knock sounded on the door to the guildhall. Mira, who was refusing Macao a drink, (_'even I don't drink this early in the morning,' _Cana thought), sent him over to answer.

He opened it and gasped.

"Hm? What is it, Macao?" Mira asked, stopping her mug wiping. Macao stepped to the side, revealing a charred, unmoving lump on the doorstep.

It was Lucy.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**DUNDUNDUN**

**I'm debating whether or not to make the next chapter on Natsu or on the guild because a) Natsu POV could be action-y and b) guild POV could be so many emotions and I don't know which to write aaaagh.**

**Music: **

'**Give me Novacaine' ~ Green Day**

**'Forsaken' ~ Within Temptation**

**'A Dangerous Mind' ~ Within Temptation**

**just gonna leave it here - Sam**


	11. Chapter 11: Revived

The guild members gathered around a small infirmary bed.

Lucy, who they had found on the doorstep of the guild, was unmoving and cold to the touch, despite the state of her burnt body. They had carried her to the infirmary and laid her down. She didn't respond to the movement.

"Do you think she's…" Gray trailed off, leaving the question unsaid.

"She couldn't be…" Wendy said.

"She can't be dead!" Happy wailed. "I don't want her to be dead!" He flew over to her and clutched onto her arm. "Lucy, wake up, pleeeeeease!"

* * *

Lucy heard a voice cut through her mind.

"_Lucy, wake up, pleeeeeease!"_

It sounded familiar. As if she'd heard it before… she could barely comprehend what the words told her.

"_Please wake up!"_

She could feel a soft pressure on her wrist. She tried moving it. Yet, try as she might, the wrist wouldn't move. _'Why can't I move?'_ She thought.

Lucy realized the only feeling she had was whatever had her wrist. Anywhere else, it was cold and dark, just like what she saw. She couldn't breathe, she couldn't move, she couldn't open her eyes just a little and see what sounded so sad.

So sad… why was the voice so sad?

She had to find out.

Gathering any might she could possibly have, she strained at her eyes, trying to open them and soothe whatever cried onto her arm. Struggling, struggling against darkness, climbing out of a black abyss…

Nothing happened.

She felt like she dragged the weight of a thousand tons.

Suddenly, a soft blue glow invaded the empty blackness of Lucy's vision. The weight slowly disappeared, and she began to hear a soft buzzing.

Lucy opened her eyes.

She was met with a hazy blue thing grasping her arm, and a person holding glowing hands over her stomach. She was tired, ever so tired… but she couldn't sleep now. If she did, she wouldn't wake up again, she was sure of it. Lucy tried and failed to summon enough strength to form a hello, and all that came out was another raspy cough.

The two looked at her.

"Lucy! Lucy, you're not dead! Wendy, you healed her!" It squealed into her wrist.

She looked down at whatever it was, as it was still much too blurry to see. Yet she could still see the happiness on its face. The other figure smiled too, saying, "It worked!"

Suddenly, her body ached all over. It was sore and painful, and she felt her fingers digging into her palm. It hurt. It hurt. It _**hurt**_. Why did it hurt so badly? What had happened? The pain cleared her vision, and she realized the thing grasping at her was a cat, and the person with glowing hands was a little girl with long, blue hair, who she presumed to be Wendy.

Wait.

A blue cat…?

"Happy?" She coughed, her throat dry and voice just barely above a whisper. It hurt to breathe, to talk, but Lucy was glad she could even do it all.

Suddenly, Lucy realized she could hear murmuring to her left, from people obscured by her field of vision. She moved her eyes.

A few people were gathered in a doorway. One, a red-haired woman in a suit of armor, was at the head of the group. Next to her was another cat, this time white, floating around the shoulder of a woman with short, blue hair that curled at the ends and a heavy, blue coat with a matching hat. Behind those were three others, all with white hair, of which two were girls. Next was a slightly old man with dark blue hair and a white cloak, who was taking a drink from a girl with long, soft brown hair. Lucy's eyes came to rest on a man with short, dark hair, and no shirt to speak of.

Memories came flooding back, like a dam had broken.

Pain was forgotten and replaced with fear. She sat up, eyes widening, panic taking over.

Lucy could only see Akuma.

"Lucy, what's wrong?" Happy asked, ever so innocently. Didn't he realize how much danger they were in? Strangers meant danger, danger meant pain. She didn't want to be hurt anymore.

The man stepped closer. "Lucy, are you okay?"

She inched back, trembling. She didn't see him. She saw the man who had tortured her for who knows how long.

A single thought invaded her mind.

'_Rule Two: Obey, or be hurt.'_

Obey.

All she had to do was obey, and she wouldn't get hurt. Follow the rules, and then it would stop. Just obey. Everything was going to be okay as long as she obeyed. Lucy tried to stop her shaking

But it was pointless. They'd hurt her no matter what she did.

"Gray, step away from Lucy. She's scared." The redhead ordered.

He stepped back. "I didn't do anything, though." He muttered. Lucy continued to stare.

Happy poked her. "Lucy, why are you scared? It's just Gray."

"N-no…" She murmured. "No escape… the walls… covered in blood…" Lucy pulled her hand away from Happy and grasped her head. "So much… so much blood…"

She mumbled, pulling herself ever deeper into a dark pit. Tears escaped her eyes. "Please stop hurting me…stop… stop…"

"Stop it!" She sobbed, only seeing the months of torture. "Go away! _GO AWAY_!" Her voice cracked and died away to whispers.

Murmuring started again.

Happy laid a paw on her knee, but she didn't snap out of the trance she was in. "Lucy, who did this to you?" The redhead asked.

The white cat huffed. "Happy, just look at her. She's covered in burns. Who do you _think _did this?"

The group quieted.

"Carla, are you saying that… Natsu… did this?" Happy questioned, a bit of disbelief in his voice.

"That is absolutely what I'm saying." Carla said, matter-of-factly. "I know what I saw in my visions, and I know what I'm seeing right now."

Happy turned to Lucy, who had stopped talking and let tears slip down her cheeks. "Lucy, who did this to you?" He asked, voice small, afraid of the answer.

"…Rule One: Call him Master…" She murmured, just loud enough for the others to hear.

"What is this about rules?" The coated woman asked. "Juvia would like to know."

Lucy took a long time to respond, dragging her words out.

"Rule One: Call… him Master…"

"Rule… Two: Disobey and be hurt…"

"Rule Three: Don't trust… anyone…"

She ended her list with a fit of coughing. Her lungs ached, her eyes were sore, and her skin felt cracked and dry. Wendy handed her a small cup of water, which she eyed warily. Was she to trust this little girl? Her extreme thirst overpowered logical thinking, and she drank it greedily. The water burned a path down her throat, but it felt like liquid heaven.

The people mulled over what she said for a short while, before Lucy coughed weakly again.

"Erza, we should take her to Porlyusica." One of the white-haired people, the girl with long, white hair, said. Her voice was concerned and sweet.

"Good idea, Mirajane. Cana?" Erza said, turning to the girl with long, brown hair. She sighed, pulled out a few cards, and directed them at Lucy.

"Card Magic: Sleep."

* * *

**Author's Note: **

**I was going to add some Natsu coverage but I realized how long this was already, and plus it's been a few days so here's a chapter-that-would-have-been-longer-if-I-wasn't-so-lazy**

**Music:**

'**Dear Agony' ~ Breaking Benjamin**

'**Missing' ~ Evanescence**

**next chapter gonna have a fight scene - Sam**


	12. Chapter 12: For Lucy

**Warning: Extensive usage of the f-bomb.**

Natsu rested his chin on his hand, propping his elbow up on his knee. He was thinking.

Lucy hadn't returned last night.

It was unusual, because no matter how long she was gone, their captor always returned her by lights-out.

He stared at the outline of the magically locked door, willing it to open. Surprisingly, almost as if on cue, it opened with a shuttering sound.

Their captor stepped in.

Natsu jumped to his feet and faced him after noticing flecks of blood on his clothing and the distinct smell of smoke radiating from him.

"Where's Lucy?" He asked, narrowing his eyes. Something wasn't right.

"Your little blonde friend? She's at Fairy Tail." He said with a smirk and a nonchalant tone. "I made sure they saw _exactly what I did to her_."

"What did you do?!"

Something definitely wasn't right.

"I killed her." He stated simply.

Natsu's stomach dropped, and his knees gave out, causing him to fall to the ground.

What?

He… killed her?

After who-knows-how-many months of torture, Lucy was dead. The woman whom Natsu had sworn to protect, to destroy anyone who dares to lay a finger on her, who kept him sane in this madhouse, had been killed. Far away from anyone could save her.

He had failed.

Natsu could feel a boiling, white-hot rage flood his veins. The monster that had tortured…raped…_killed_ Lucy was standing right there, with a fucking smirk on his face. He knew exactly how Natsu felt.

Natsu's body lit on fire.

Their captor looked somewhat startled, yet retained his casual stance and tone. "Eh? How are you using magic in here? I had Troy amplify the magic barrier on you a day ago."

Natsu looked up, burning rage in his eyes. "You killed her…killed…her… _**you fucking monster!**_" He snarled, standing up. "I promised I would protect her. Kill _anyone_ who hurt her!" At that, Natsu bared his teeth like a wild animal, his sharp canines gleaming in the firelight. "I'm going to murderyou." He growled.

'_For Lucy.' _Natsu thought.

Raising his fists, he charged at their captor.

"FIRE DRAGON IRON FIST!"

* * *

Lucy awoke to the sight of an old, pink-haired woman examining her mangled leg, occasionally prodding it.

Almost instinctively, Lucy pulled away, feebly trying and failing to curl into a small ball. Bandages and casts covered the upper part of her body, making any movement stiff and awkward. But she had to get away. Far away, where nobody could touch her.

The woman huffed, somewhat angrily. "You're just going to hurt it more if you do that. Now give me your leg and stop moving." She demanded.

Hesitantly, Lucy complied.

The woman continued examining, occasionally furrowing her brow, especially when she came across a snapped bone poking out of her upper calf. "Honestly. This is why I hate humans! All they do is fight and break things, including each other. Honestly…" She grumbled.

After a few more minutes, the woman stopped examining and began to bandage Lucy.

She whimpered when the woman pulled the cloth taut around her burned midsection and mangled leg, but didn't dare move. Never disobey. Ever.

After the last bandage had been wrapped and the last cast had been plastered, the woman sat down beside where Lucy laid.

"I'm going to ask you a few questions, and you're going to tell me the truth, okay?" She said. Lucy nodded slightly.

"What's your name?"

"L-Lucy… Heartfilia."

"And where do you live?"

"…Strawberry Street?"

"What's your guild's name?"

"Fairy Tail." She said with ease.

"Do you know who I am?"

"N-no… should I?" She asked hesitantly. Was she going to get hurt for not knowing?"

The woman furrowed her brow at this, yet continued asking questions.

"Do you know anyone named Wendy Marvell?"

"No."

"Gray Fullbuster? Erza Scarlet?

"No, and no."

"Natsu Dragneel?"

"…yes..." Lucy's eyes became distant, like she was deep in thought.

At that answer, the woman furrowed her brow even more. "We're done here." She said, promptly getting up and walking out of the small room, leaving Lucy alone.

She sat there, the distant sound of talking a background noise to the tornado whirling inside her head.

* * *

"Is she going to be okay?" Wendy asked.

"Her physical wounds will heal quickly, but her leg needs healing magic. It's almost completely mangled. But what I'm worried about is her mental and emotional damage." Porlyusica deadpanned. "She has amnesia."

"…b-but she recognized me…" Happy whimpered.

"That may be because the only person she remembers is Natsu. However, her amnesia is caused by a spell. I don't know if she may ever regain her memories." The group was surprised to hear that. She lost her memories, yet knew who Natsu was. Carla, of course, had a pretty good idea as to why.

"On a side note, her burns were quite unusual. They were magically inflicted."

"So that's all the evidence we need to know who did this." Carla said coldly. Happy turned to her. "You really think Natsu would do this?" He asked, saddened. It was hard to believe. Natsu would never hurt Lucy.

Right?

"What more do you need? Magical burns, remembering him, _my clairvoyance_." Carla pointed out.

"Why don't you just ask her?!" Porlyusica asked in annoyance.

"We tried that. She either doesn't respond or says something about a rule making her call him Master." Gray said.

"Rules…?" Porlyusica murmured. "Stupid humans…" She said under her breath. "You can go and take her back, now. I don't have all day."

* * *

Whilst Natsu was out of breath and full of rage, his opponent was bored and nonchalant. Not a single hit had landed on him, as he had easily jumped out of the way of Natsu's blinding fury.

Strangely enough, while Natsu was flying almost completely off the handle, he didn't attack, almost as if he didn't want Natsu to get hurt.

"Why… why did you do it?" Natsu asked, lunging at him.

"Hm? Do what?" He said casually.

"Torture her… kill her… _why?_ Why her?!"

"Oh, it wasn't about her. It was the both of you. At first, all I was going to do was hurt her a bit and send you both home. But after seeing you two together… how you were so happy… how you _loved_ her…" The man stopped talking briefly as he dodged a flaming roar.

"…I decided you didn't deserve to be that happy." He finished, smirking.

Natsu glowered at him. "So you hurt Lucy… because of me?"

The man laughed. "Of course. All of this is _your_ fault."

Natsu went silent for a moment, before suddenly launching at him. "_This isn't my fucking fault! I'm not the one who raped and tortured an innocent girl!_" He screamed, even angrier than before.

His fist connected solidly with the man's face.

Their captor stumbled back and glared at Natsu. "That hurt, you know."

"Shut the _fuck_ up! You deserve to get hurt, after what you did to Lucy! All she wanted was to be free!" Natsu snarled, running at him again.

"Honestly, I'm getting bored with this pointlessness. Hm, maybe I'll let you go back and tell your guild friends how pathetic you are, too weak to protect one person." He smiled at that. "Yes, I think I shall."

"I'm not done with you yet!" Natsu growled, charging at the man.

However, a puff of smoke appeared. When Natsu waved it away, the man was gone, and the door was opened.

Huffing, he peered out into a stone-cold hallway. It led three ways. He decided to venture to the left and right before going forward.

Going to the left, Natsu found a room with a window that looked into the cell, a one-way window. On a small ledge right underneath it laid Loke's celestial key. Natsu picked it up and tucked it into his vest. He could give it to Loke's next mage.

To the right, he found a horrible sight.

The torture room.

Rusty red chains were attached to the wall, clearly for keeping a person in place by their wrists and ankles. The ground was scorched, and dry blood was splattered and flaking all around.

Smells surrounded him.

The most prominent smells were fear and sex. They mingled together to create an aroma that made Natsu want to vomit, but he held steady. Blood and burnt flesh was the next thing he smelled. Burnt flesh? Was she… burned to death? He felt like he was going insane.

Before pondering it more, he caught an extremely faint smell. Hidden behind layers of evil, it still lingered, after six months. Lucy's scent. Strawberries and vanilla, sweet and tangy, a scent that made him feel giddy and make his heart flutter. But now, it only reminded him that she was gone, and he would never smell it again.

He trudged out and went down the middle corridor, making many twisting turns, before he came upon a door that was different from the others. It was wooden, and had a knob, painted gold. He opened it.

The sight of sunny grasslands greeted him, carrying the scent of dew and freedom on the wind. It was the way out. Natsu stepped out and began to run to the horizon, despite his tiredness. For six months, he was shut in, and yet the sun still shined.

He wanted to fall over into the grass and fall asleep, but he couldn't do that. He had to get back to the guild, and make everything right.

For Lucy.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**This chapter is so sad ;3; not to mention this damned music.**

**I suck at writing action so I filled in most of that fighting part with Lucy storyline, so sorry you don't get my crappy fight scene**

**Music:**

'**Haunted' ~ Evanescence**

'**My Immortal' ~ Evanescence**

'**Talking to the Moon' ~ Bruno Mars**

**choo choo, all aboard the sad train - Sam**


	13. Chapter 13: Cold

**Note: M stuff ahead! You have been warned!**

* * *

Lucy was running through a dark forest, oddly enough, completely naked.

A horrible monster was chasing her.

She had had this nightmare many times when she was kidnapped. It was always the same—a dark forest, being chased by an unseen evil, stripped down to the skin. Right before the snarling beast could catch her, Natsu would wake her up and cradle her until she calmed down.

But Natsu wasn't there.

Lucy could feel hot breath running down her neck, the monster right behind her. Her leg got caught on a hidden root of a tree, and she fell over on her back.

The monster climbed on top of her.

Only, it wasn't really a monster.

It was vaguely humanoid, made of dark violet shadows, with eyes the color of blood and glinting, pointy teeth that gleamed even though there was little light. It began to speak, in an almost unintelligible growl.

"**I caught you…"** The monster growled, tracing a finger on her cheek, from her ear to her chin. The touch sent cold fear down Lucy's spine. This wasn't supposed to happen. The monster never caught her.

"**Now I get to have my fun…"**

It shifted, and Lucy felt an all-too-familiar heat move between her thighs, impatient and throbbing. Realization struck her.

The monster was going to rape her.

"Don't you dare!" She shouted, hitting it with tight fists that did nothing but egg the monster on. Its grin turned upwards and stretched wide, pointed edges of his teeth glinting, taunting, daring her to fight back.

He pressed the tip of his cock into her entrance.

"N-no…please don't…" She begged.

However, just before he could slam into her, the forest began to blur.

"_Lucy? Are you okay?" _A voice called. Lucy could feel the world melt away, leaving a blinding abyss of darkness.

Her eyes snapped open, and she sat up, terrified. She was panting, and sweat trickled down her forehead. The coldness she felt hadn't disappeared, and she was shivering madly. She quickly covered her face with her hands.

Happy was looking at her in confusion. "Lucy, what's wrong? You're shaking really bad."

She took a moment to reply.

"…it…it was a nightmare." She said with a shaky breath, dropping her hands. The cold hadn't disappeared. Instead, it seemed to have spread throughout her entire body. Goosebumps appeared on her skin when the shivering stopped.

'_Why do I feel so cold?'_

Before she could ponder it further, the infirmary room door slammed open, and a rush of blue tackled her.

"Lu-chan! You're back!" A blue-haired girl exclaimed, hugging her tightly. She began to babble about missing her, books, and various other things.

However, Lucy wasn't listening to her. She was focused on the two men that stood in the doorway. One was wearing an oversized brown and white coat, with a matching tall hat. The other had dark hair that was pulled back and pointed upwards, forking at the end.

The shivering started again; only now, it wasn't because she was cold.

Lucy pulled away from the girl, pressing her back against the wall and trying to curl into a smaller space. The team didn't look particularly threatening, but she knew not to trust anyone, even if they did look vaguely familiar.

The girl cocked her head to one side. "Lu-chan? What's wrong?"

"Levy, you should probably get Jet and Droy out of here." Happy sighed.

"What's wrong with them?" Levy asked. Before Happy could reply, however…

"LEVY!" Gray shouted from behind Jet and Droy, before pushing them away. "Don't go running away when I'm fucking trying to tell you that—" He stopped ranting when he glanced at Lucy, who was still trembling, and sighed.

"That what?" She asked innocently.

"She doesn't remember any of us."

There was a moment of silence before Levy turned back to the blonde. "Lu-chan? You don't remember who I am?" She asked, saddened.

Lucy nodded guiltily, looking down at her legs.

She was freezing.

* * *

People stared as Natsu ran through the town, but he didn't care.

Truth be told, if he were just a passerby as well, he would do the same. He was dirty and disheveled, having worn the same outfit for six months, running for nearly an entire day with minimal rest, not to mention without shoes. That effort had gotten him only somewhat closer to a harbor with boats that went to Fiore. He desperately needed rest, a bath, and a proper meal.

A slightly taller brick in the path caught his bare foot, and he tripped in front of a house, falling onto his face and banging his elbow. Slowly, he pulled himself up, rubbing the scrape, but continued wearily.

If he kept running, maybe he could stop feeling so cold.

Natsu never felt cold—he was a Fire Dragon Slayer, after all. But now, he felt oddly chilly, and goose bumps were beginning to form on his skin. It was a weird feeling, one that he hadn't really felt before. He had felt this way since he left that wretched cell. Maybe it had something to do with Lucy…?

He shook his head at that thought, clearing his mind. He had to focus on the task at hand.

If he thought of Lucy, of how he could never see her again… never say sorry…never hear the cute way she laughed, or smell her lovely scent…

He would surely freeze to death.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**This fic just gets darker and darker. Jeebus. I'm gonna need like five kittens and a plate of spicy fries after writing the next two chapters (-cough- gonna be messed the frick up –cough-)**

**On another note, spring break is coming up next week, so I'll be able to get out more chapters, yay!**

**Music:**

'**Epitaph' ~ King Crimson**

'**Hopeless' ~ Breaking Benjamin**

**On yet another note, these next few chapters will center mostly around Lucy and her struggle with going pretty much insane from nightmares and panic attacks, with minor updates from Natsu's journey. Oh boy. All aboard the dark train, toot toot.**

**a lot of messed-up-ery coming in Lucy's nightmares - Sam **


	14. Chapter 14: Alone

It was dark.

So dark, she couldn't make out a single wall in the maze she was in. All she had was her sense of touch, fumblingly blindly around corners and smacking into dead ends and scraping her hands on rough stone.

She didn't know how she got there, or how long she had been there. She didn't feel like she knew anything besides the cold stone on her bare feet and the feeling of walls scraping the skin on her hands as she tried to escape the twisting labyrinth.

She thought that maybe, if she walked long enough, she would find an exit. That someone would be waiting for her with open doors and open arms. And they would cradle her, and tell her everything's okay, even if it wasn't. Even if the doors closed and they were trapped. But it would be okay, because at least someone was there.

Maybe, instead of standing at open doors, they were lost in the maze, too, looking for her. Maybe they walked the paths of the maze, calling out her name, waiting for her to hear. Maybe they, too, just needed someone to tell them that everything was going to be fine.

The darkness stretched on.

There was no comfort, no other person. There was no light and no sound and no feeling. There was no life. There was only the darkness and the stone and the panic welling up in her eyes that would have blurred her vision if she could see.

If she could see, maybe she would have seen the eyes that watched from above, a gleaming red that was only barely masked by the lack of light. They watched as she struggled fruitlessly, stumbling through dark pathways and tripping on her own feet, forgetting which direction was up.

She was shaking, and couldn't will herself to go on in her hopeless journey. Maybe this was how she would end—in the darkness, tears falling from her eyes, fallen on her knees and unable to move forwards or backwards. Maybe she would stay in that spot until her body turned as cold as the stone around her.

She had a sudden, extreme longing for familiar strong, warm arms to encase her torso and break her out of this hellhole. She longed for the scent of cinnamon and smoky wood to surround her. She longed for a voice, whispering silent words that screamed louder than any other comfort; she longed for the words that screamed _you're going to be okay_. She longed for _him_.

But he wasn't there.

And he wasn't ever going to be there again.

And as the pitch-black darkness slowly crawled up her bruised legs and etched black paths through her skin, cutting like knives into her heart, she had a single thought:

She was **alone**.

* * *

People whispered, stared, and pointed at the bedraggled Salamander.

Not that he could blame them.

He had been running on his bare feet through forests, towns, plains and probably other places, not that he noticed. Twigs were always scratching his ankles, and he was pretty sure he could hear river water sloshing around in his head. Hell, there was probably a fish in there too.

Natsu tilted his head and beat a fist on his right temple. Water came pouring out of his left ear, along with a tiny wriggling river smelt and a few leaves.

Damn, how fucking empty _was_ his head?

Well, to be fair, it wasn't like he had much to use it for. Recently, he'd been shutting down any thought or memory that tried to surface in order to focus on traveling. He'd refused his mind the pleasure of thinking about that smile, or those soft brown eyes that carried stars, or that creamy white skin, or the laugh that sounded exactly like tinkling bells, or…

Or how he would never again see that smile, or hear that tinkling laugh… how that skin had long ago turned sickly gray and layered with dirt and crusty infection…

How those eyes had become _dead_…

"Damn it! _Shut the hell up_!"Natsu yelled out loud to himself, grabbing his matted hair and pulling at it wildly, startling the townsfolk around him.

"Mommy, what's wrong with him?" A young girl standing outside a house asked her mother.

"Just look away, honey." The mother answered, pushing her daughter back inside the house.

Natsu covered his face with his hands and groaned loudly. He felt like he was going insane.

He shook his head quickly and began running again, and though his legs still burned like his own fire in protest and his lungs begged him to stop, he went faster, until the town melded away to an overgrown forest, full of bright flowers that only seemed dull gray to him.

_Tha-Thump._

Color was draining out of everything around him.

_Tha-Thump._

And yet, Natsu still ran, running away from the memories of what had once been. He squeezed his eyes shut and ran in his own self-inflicted darkness, barely even feeling the brambles scratching at his legs.

_Tha-Thump_.

He had started going numb.

Suddenly, he felt grass on his side, clinging to him. He edged his eyes open and found he was dripping red, sticky blood, the only thing that had color in the black-and-white universe he was in.

The edges of his vision faded, and the sound of his own heartbeat thrumming against his chest faded.

_Tha-Thump…_

_Tha-Thu.._

_T…_

Blue dots swam in his vision, before those disappeared, too, leaving nothing but swirling blackness that consumed him, a hungry monster that left the world blank.

It reminded him of the pitch-black feeling he had when Igneel had left him on his own long ago.

The pitch-black feeling of being **alone**.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**OH DEAR GOD IT'S DONE**

**FINALLY**

**okay, so I have a LOT of apologies to make. I am SO sorry this took so long! I honestly didn't mean to make you guys wait like 6 months for this chapter (and it's still a sucky chapter. i cri evrytim) I had a crud-ton of writer's block for this chapter so that's why it's so short... (still crying)**

** I'll try to make regular chapter updates like before, but it may not be possible, because since school started i've been super busy (i'm in 3 clubs, all honors classes, and i do tutoring. help me.)**

**so please don't hate me. **

**I'm already about half-way done with Chapter 15, so that'll be out in a few days!**

**fuck me - Sam**

**(P.S. have you guys heard that song C'mon by P!ATD? It's super good!)**


	15. Notice

**NOTICE: THIS CHAPTER IS NOT AN UPDATE! IT IS AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE REGARDING THE UPDATE SCHEDULE FOR MY FICS!**

* * *

Hi everyone, Sambean here. So I have some bad news.

I'm not going to be able to update my fics for a while. The reason behind this is that I just got a new computer to replace my old one, but I didn't transfer my old files over. And worst of all, I had just finished Chapter 15 of _Missing_.

"But you can just rewrite the chapter from scratch!" I hear you say. Well, unfortunately, right now I can't.

I, unfortunately, have been infested by parasites known as 'School' and 'Life'. On weekdays, I have tutoring, 3 different clubs, and volunteer work. On the weekends, I have sports games and homework to do.

So, basically, I'm overscheduled. I have little to no time at all to write.

I'll do the best I can to squeeze out a chapter in my short free-time, but you really shouldn't get your hopes up.

* * *

**Many, many apologies - Sam**


End file.
